Sorry I didn't go top 10. The foods after 5 are pretty much the same and they all pretty much fall into the catagory of "old school" formulations.

Pet Food Ratings

I have been asked to rate both dry and raw foods. The dry foods will be listed in order of quality with an explanation of why it rates where it does.

At the top of my list with 4 stars is raw or BARF. It’s the most appropriate for dogs to eat, easiest for them to digest, and though there are inherent risks, the safest as well.

For dry foods the first at 3 stars would be Timberwolf:
With a very high percentage of meat based protein it is quite expensive. But since the dogs don’t eat as much of it, it really ends up being a good buy. They also, as a general rule, don’t develop a lot of the usual issues they deal with when lower quality foods are fed. Their lowest protein formula starts with 50% meat based protein, their highest has 90% meat based protein. The more meat protein the less grain they use. There is a wide variety of formulas and 3 are true allergy formulas since they don’t use any form of rice, corn, wheat, or soy.

Number two with 2 1/2 stars would be Nature’s Variety:
They use a standard kibble but when it’s cooled from the extrusion process they coat it in dehydrated raw food. They call this “Bio-coating”. It ups the meat percentage quite a bit, though pound for pound it’s still less than the Timberwolf. They have recently added an allergy formula, Venison with pumpkin seed and sweet potato. The dogs do well with it.

Number 3 with 2 1/4 stars would be Merrick:
Merrick also coats the kibble in dehydrated meat. They have added freeze dried vegetables and chunks of dehydrated meat in with the kibble. It has an added component of making gravy when warm water is added with the kibble. It takes a couple of minutes for it to thicken up but the dogs love it.

Number 4 with 1 3/4 stars would be Wellness. The biggest thing with this food that made it stand out is it is baked. It crumbles very easily, and is suppose to be easily digested. They were one of the first to come out with an alternative allergy formula with something other than lamb and rice.

Number 5 with 1 1/2 stars would be Canidae:
This is a decent food, much better than a lot of the big names out there. My main complaint is that they use sunflower oil and, eventually, most dogs will have trouble with it. It’s a good middle of the road food for a lot of people coming off grocery store or big name foods. It shows them the benefits of feeding better quality.

A quick question regarding Nature's Variety. One of the ingredients I see listed fairly close to the top is Montmorillonite.

Did a quick google and found this:

Montmorillonite is a member of the general mineral group the clays. It typically forms microscopic or at least very small platy micaceous crystals. The water content is variable, and in fact when water is absorbed by the crystals they tend to swell to several times their original volume

I was just wondering if this serves a purpose that wasn't explained in the article I read?

Also, how do you determine the amount of meat based protein in a food?

sarcazmo wrote:A quick question regarding Nature's Variety. One of the ingredients I see listed fairly close to the top is Montmorillonite.

Did a quick google and found this:

Montmorillonite is a member of the general mineral group the clays. It typically forms microscopic or at least very small platy micaceous crystals. The water content is variable, and in fact when water is absorbed by the crystals they tend to swell to several times their original volume

I was just wondering if this serves a purpose that wasn't explained in the article I read?

Also, how do you determine the amount of meat based protein in a food?

sarcazmo wrote:A quick question regarding Nature's Variety. One of the ingredients I see listed fairly close to the top is Montmorillonite.

Montmorillonite Clay

Montmorillonite clay is a product of Mother Earth named after its discovery locality, Montmorillon in France. An organic trace mineral, montmorillonite contains a combination of over 50 mineral compounds including silicon, aluminum, iron, sulphur, magnesium, titanium, potassium, sodium, calcium (as carbonate) and phosphorous.

Montmorillonite is a swelling clay. When it absorbs water and swells, it is stretched open like a porous sponge and toxins are drawn and bound into the spaces by electrical attraction. Montmorillonite can bind mycotoxins (fungal toxins), endotoxins (internal toxins), toxic chemicals and bacteria. It protects the gut lining, acting as an antacid and it absorbs excess fluids, which is useful with cases of diarrhea. Clay may be helpful for anemia because it contains both types of dietary iron (ferrous and ferric).

The benefits of clay to animal health have been known for some time. Although clay eating is most common in plant eaters, meat eaters occasionally eat dirt as well. The feces of wolves often appear to have large amounts of earth in them. Domestic dogs frequently consume earth, and rocks suggesting that eating earth elements may not only be a source for minerals, but an instinctive form of self-medication.

sarcazmo wrote:A quick question regarding Nature's Variety. One of the ingredients I see listed fairly close to the top is Montmorillonite.

Montmorillonite Clay

Montmorillonite clay is a product of Mother Earth named after its discovery locality, Montmorillon in France. An organic trace mineral, montmorillonite contains a combination of over 50 mineral compounds including silicon, aluminum, iron, sulphur, magnesium, titanium, potassium, sodium, calcium (as carbonate) and phosphorous.

Montmorillonite is a swelling clay. When it absorbs water and swells, it is stretched open like a porous sponge and toxins are drawn and bound into the spaces by electrical attraction. Montmorillonite can bind mycotoxins (fungal toxins), endotoxins (internal toxins), toxic chemicals and bacteria. It protects the gut lining, acting as an antacid and it absorbs excess fluids, which is useful with cases of diarrhea. Clay may be helpful for anemia because it contains both types of dietary iron (ferrous and ferric).

The benefits of clay to animal health have been known for some time. Although clay eating is most common in plant eaters, meat eaters occasionally eat dirt as well. The feces of wolves often appear to have large amounts of earth in them. Domestic dogs frequently consume earth, and rocks suggesting that eating earth elements may not only be a source for minerals, but an instinctive form of self-medication.

SFBullyGirl wrote:I just started feeding Nature Variety Raw and Great Life Kibble...not sure if most can get great life but it is an holistic kibble that is sprayed with raw food..great stuff..it is not cheap however.

So, I'm looking at the Timberwolf food, but can anyone explain to me why, after paying almost $50 a bag for dog food, I would feel compelled to:

Wilderness Elk Canid Formula™ is fully balanced and meets the requirements of all life stages, but we do encourage the adding of meats such as muscle meats, organ meats, sweetbreads (thymus, pancreas), eggs etc.

I mean, why should I have to ADD something to a $50 a bag bag of dog food? So any TW feeders do this, or just feed the food?